Opening Worship Services
Dear Cornerstone Family, I'm excited to let you know that we are making progress towards gathering for our Sunday worship services! King County is in Phase 2 of Governor Inslee's Safe Start plan to reopen our state. This allows us to begin meeting together as long as we adhere to the recommended safety guidelines. Our approach is to open as soon as possible once we have all of the safety supplies, equipment, processes, and protocols worked out. We have a safety team that has been planning for this even before we moved to Phase 2. That said, we are aiming for August 16th as our first in person service!
Continue reading below if you want more details.
Blessings,
P. Joe
Ministry Center/Lake Hills Elementary School
Our latest communication from the Bellevue School District indicated that there was a strong possibility that we would NOT be able to return to LHE in September when they hope to open the schools for the new school year. Therefore, we are planning on holding our worship services at the ministry center. Space and safety precludes us from providing on site children's ministry. Our ROCK core is researching ways to provide virtual instruction while continuing to provide resources for parents to give spiritual instruction to their children.
Starting with One Service
Our initial plan is to start with only one service. Space and safety will limit the number of people who can attend. We will need people to sign up each week if they would like to attend. The actual number of people that can be accommodated will be dependent on how many individuals versus households sign up since family members/roommates can sit together without needing to be 6' apart. Signing up will also give us an indication if we should add additional worship services. We will let you know when the sign up sheet is available. We will continue to live stream our services for those who can't attend.
Compliance with the State
Our heart is to comply with the state's safety requirements yet it has become clear that they did not consider the way many churches operate and their general guidelines reflected this lack of knowledge. For example, they prohibit the use of choirs and simply state that everyone in attendance must wear a mask. There is no exception mentioned for the preachers or vocalists in a worship band. We've contacted the state and they have given us permission to have the preachers unmasked as long as they are 15' from the congregation. They've also allowed us to have our vocalists stand behind a plexiglass barrier instead of wearing a mask. We wanted you to know we've received permission from the state to do this. Once we open for public worship, we will give detailed instructions on how each one of us can do our part in keeping each other safe.
Community Groups
We have been in communication with your CG leader, so you should hear from them with regards to guidance and options for CG gatherings that make sense for your group.
Think The Best of One Another
There are people in our church family who are eager to gather together to worship. There are others who feel refraining from gathering is the loving thing to do to keep everyone safe. It's important for us not to judge or look down on others. People who choose to gather for worship are doing so because of their love for the Lord and seeking to obey His command not to forsake gathering together (Hebrews 10:24-25). People who choose to refrain from gathering are not necessarily doing so because they are driven by fear but because they feel it is the loving and responsible thing to do to help protect the most vulnerable (Mark 12:30-31). Paul tells us in Romans 14:4 'Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.'
Judging others is a deadly spiritual virus that destroys churches and pains God's heart but when we respect and think the best of one another, the body of Christ is strengthened even in the midst of our different perspectives.
Continue reading below if you want more details.
Blessings,
P. Joe
Ministry Center/Lake Hills Elementary School
Our latest communication from the Bellevue School District indicated that there was a strong possibility that we would NOT be able to return to LHE in September when they hope to open the schools for the new school year. Therefore, we are planning on holding our worship services at the ministry center. Space and safety precludes us from providing on site children's ministry. Our ROCK core is researching ways to provide virtual instruction while continuing to provide resources for parents to give spiritual instruction to their children.
Starting with One Service
Our initial plan is to start with only one service. Space and safety will limit the number of people who can attend. We will need people to sign up each week if they would like to attend. The actual number of people that can be accommodated will be dependent on how many individuals versus households sign up since family members/roommates can sit together without needing to be 6' apart. Signing up will also give us an indication if we should add additional worship services. We will let you know when the sign up sheet is available. We will continue to live stream our services for those who can't attend.
Compliance with the State
Our heart is to comply with the state's safety requirements yet it has become clear that they did not consider the way many churches operate and their general guidelines reflected this lack of knowledge. For example, they prohibit the use of choirs and simply state that everyone in attendance must wear a mask. There is no exception mentioned for the preachers or vocalists in a worship band. We've contacted the state and they have given us permission to have the preachers unmasked as long as they are 15' from the congregation. They've also allowed us to have our vocalists stand behind a plexiglass barrier instead of wearing a mask. We wanted you to know we've received permission from the state to do this. Once we open for public worship, we will give detailed instructions on how each one of us can do our part in keeping each other safe.
Community Groups
We have been in communication with your CG leader, so you should hear from them with regards to guidance and options for CG gatherings that make sense for your group.
Think The Best of One Another
There are people in our church family who are eager to gather together to worship. There are others who feel refraining from gathering is the loving thing to do to keep everyone safe. It's important for us not to judge or look down on others. People who choose to gather for worship are doing so because of their love for the Lord and seeking to obey His command not to forsake gathering together (Hebrews 10:24-25). People who choose to refrain from gathering are not necessarily doing so because they are driven by fear but because they feel it is the loving and responsible thing to do to help protect the most vulnerable (Mark 12:30-31). Paul tells us in Romans 14:4 'Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.'
Judging others is a deadly spiritual virus that destroys churches and pains God's heart but when we respect and think the best of one another, the body of Christ is strengthened even in the midst of our different perspectives.